Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

But it was pretty weird this year. Let me explain. Between close friends particularly guys when new year wishes were exchanged, I followed a particular format. It goes like this "Happy New Year" + "Name-of-the-dream-which-you-wanted-to-happen-but-has-not-been-happening come true". This year, the dream which everyone wanted to happen was finding a suitable mate! So new year wishes exchanged "Happy New Year" + "Hope our bachelor life ends soon"!!

There is this underlying tone of desperation, pain and hopelessness. The reasons shared are many. First is the general shortage of women in marry-able age. Second, horoscopes and various conditions which girls and guys and their parents impose on each other's family and finally any hot girl nah...even... moderately good looking girl is already in a relationship.

Let me delve on the last point a little more. I am talking here from a average guy who is unable to find a relationship on his own  waits for his parents to find him a suitable mate. A strange but understandable phenomenon is going on for the past couple of decades. Girls who are open minded, ready for experimentation and good looking (typical ones who you want to date but don't reciprocate) are already in a relationship..... always. Be it school, college or work-space. You might think they are available but a couple of dinners and Rs 2000/ $ 50 later you realize you are dealing with the wrong chick! I have personally experienced this many times, over and over again! Konjam sumara irundha podum, they get booked! Hence this shortage of girls in the arranged marriage circuit.

I can relate this made scramble for girls to how we as Indians fight dirty for water, cooking gas, ration shop rice etc.....whenever there is a shortage. People who can undercut the process and those who plan ahead get what they want. And guys who wait for their turn in an orderly manner following the arranged marriage process gets stomped upon. You  might think that in a civilized society such things are unfair and don't happen, but no, one has to compete hard for even having his progeny! The situation can be compared to the fate experienced by dinosaurs and other extinct animals.

Renewed Confidence

Just came back from a holiday in Michigan.

Was with a friend who is doing his MBA from Ross School of Business. Cleared lot of misconceptions about a B school and gained a lot of insights on how an MBA school experience would like. I thought MBA was just another degree to decorate your unique skill which you already have. But that is not always the case. You do learn specific skills and can get a job in that particular function if you really work at it.

Like grad school it is also all about how much effort you put in consistently rather than intelligence (specifically during exam times). Also it might sound clichéd, but MBA is all about learning from your peers as they have a rich knowledge on one particular subject, but the amount of learning depends on how much you leverage your resources.

Also meet some famous people: came across someone who had made it to the national cricket team, now how many times will you come across personalities like that? The most important thing I gained from the holiday was the renewed confidence that I too can apply to a B school, of course backed by a sky rocketing performance and an experience that is highly unique!!

First Love

I found this video on face-book. It is about how a couple who were in love got separated by circumstances which was beyond their control and  now one of them is getting married to a third person. The background song is how first love can never be forgotten.

An 18 year old me would have become emotional and would have immediately thought about my first love. This 'I can't forget my first love' business made me laugh. People do some things right, some things wrong and move on. When is the last time you thought you made the right decision in the past only to find that the reasons behind the decision seems silly now.

So my point is holding onto something like 'first love' is very delusional and immature. Move on people.

Normal Week

I was in the Applied Time series class which mostly deals with forecasting/predicting the future. This week we were dealing with exchange rate of Japanese Yen and US Dollar. Suddenly a Chinese student gets excited and is waiting for the Professor to finish his introduction. Finally when he gets a chance, he asks in all earnest whether we can predict the future value of the Yen on a weekly basis hinting at betting trades using currency. The Professor takes a couple of seconds to think and goes on to say how prediction is fraught with mines and what forecasting or mainly his lectures allow you to do is to appreciate how much uncertainty is present while forecasting. Finally he says, ' Lets face it, if I knew how to forecast the currency rates, I would have been rich a long time and ago and would not be teaching you guys about forecasting'. The very purpose of me joining the class was defeated!

Getting a job in US will be an excellent testimony to my will power and mental stability. It has to do with the old cliche being in the right place at the right time. Last week I received a mail from one of the companies which I applied. Generally I don't get an email immediately. If it is a rejection letter they send their " regret " after a month  but for this company I got an email in a couple of days. So I open with all curiosity to see what it is, only to find out that they have re-evaluated their requirements and found that the position itself was not required and have removed it from their job offers.

Last summer I was called for a telephonic interview which was something I had to experience. I went through elaborate preparation for this interview.

• Spoke to couple of my friends for a couple of hours on how I should answer each question based on my experience and strengths. 
• Went through a mini emotional crisis to find out that I had all the strengths of a 20 year experienced CEO and I had zero weaknesses. How will I articulate that to the recruiter?
• Booked a study room at the library for 45 minutes, so that I can speak to the recruiter in a calm environment.
• Bragged it to a couple of desi, chinese and  american friends so that they can envy me.

Finally on the day of the interview, I eat a healthy lunch, I am cool and confident and ready to take on the world. The interviewer calls and I am surprised at myself for brimming with so much confidence. She says the requirement is immediate and asks me if I am able to join them in a couple of weeks time. I said am yet to complete my course work. She apologized for overseeing my graduation date. I was depressed and I ate an enormous second lunch to get me over this.